Q: I am surprised by how some of my friends have reacted to plans to introduce compulsory eye tests for older drivers, with many seeming to think it was ageist. However, it seems like a sensible move to me.
I will be spending the winter in Spain, where you have to have your vision checked regularly if you want to hold on to your licence. As far as I understand, it’s the same in many European countries.
This caused quite a stir among my patients, too, but I also think it is a sensible proposal. Drivers over 70 may have been targeted initially because they are the group most likely to have worsening vision due to age-related problems like cataracts, but there are also plenty of younger drivers who can’t see well enough to meet the current licensing criteria.
Quite how many is unclear, but a recent roadside survey of 900 drivers found that one in 45 couldn’t read a number plate 20 metres away (the only test currently used to assess drivers’ vision in the UK). Most were older, but many were not, and the youngest to fail was 30.
If you extrapolate that to the whole UK then it could mean that nearly a million drivers – of all ages – can’t see well enough to drive safely.
I believe more stringent testing should apply to all age groups. The UK is one of a handful of countries that still depends on nothing more than the rather crude, one-off number plate test when you take your driving exam, alongside self-declaration that you can still pass it at 70 and thereafter. As you point out, most countries are far more rigorous.
Not only would better testing here hopefully improve road safety, it could – depending on the nature of the examination – have medical benefits too. And not only in detecting vision threatening eye conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration at a stage when they are easier to treat, but also general health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure and even brain tumours – all of which can trigger early tell-tale changes in the back of the eye.
Of course, you don’t need to be a driver to benefit from regular eye tests. I have one every two years and would strongly advise all Saga Magazine readers to do the same. And, for most of us anyway, they are free.
(Image credit: Michael Driver)
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